Utility truck bodies often have a box-like, non-aerodynamic appearance. This box-like appearance lends itself to relatively simple manufacturing processes for making doors for the truck bodies. However, a trend in the manufacture of trucks today is to provide the truck body with aesthetically pleasing lines, which calls for some curved body panels. The process of manufacturing curved body panels increases the cost and complexity of the truck door construction.
Curved truck door panels are typically formed by a metal-forming process that requires the use of special dies. These dies are provided with a shaped surface for pressing the sheet metal into a desired shape, and greatly increase the cost of the truck body. Thus, there is a need for an inexpensive method for producing curved vehicle door panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,753 to Kalis Jr. et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, relates to a method that employs a jig having curved supports for imparting a curvature to an outer door panel. An inner door panel is fastened to the outer door panel by aligning openings in tabs of the outer door panel with openings in ribs of the inner door panel and by riveting the tabs to the ribs. This method of joining the inner and outer door panels increases the complexity and thus the expense of the door manufacturing process.